Accountability. It’s the word that’s defined Mike Brown’s early tenure as head coach with the Knicks, one of several differentiating factors that separate him from former head coach Tom Thibodeau, who the Knicks fired after their Eastern Conference Finals run ended in six games last season.
It’s not the word, however, Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody was expecting. Moody is one of a handful of current Warriors players who were on the roster when Brown was a lead assistant from 2016-2022.
“Accountability? When you said his favorite word, I thought you was about to say motherf–ker,” Moody told the Daily News. “That was back then. I don’t know if he’s still rocking with it, but that was his favorite word back then, for sure.”
Brown is not the same coach he was when he was on the bench as part of Steve Kerr’s staff. He won three championships as the Warriors’ defensive coordinator. He ended the Sacramento Kings’ NBA record 16-year playoff drought. And now, he’s faced with a new challenge: Pulling together a Knicks team fresh off nine losses in an 11-game span to salvage the remnants of a season the franchise hoped could end with an NBA Finals appearance.
Moody is one of five current Warriors who were on the roster during Brown’s tenure. Draymond Green is another, and he may have the closest relationship with Brown out of any other player on Golden State’s roster.
It’s a relationship so tight, Brown and Green — in a moment drawing the scrutiny and ire of a Knicks fan base embroiled in a losing streak — shared smiles, laughs and hugs after the Warriors defeated the Knicks, 126-113, on Jan. 13 for New York’s seventh loss in nine games.
Moments later, at his locker following his postgame group media session, Green explained why the Knicks made the right decision in choosing Brown to lead a team with championship aspirations to the next level.
“He’s always on. Always on. He eats, sleeps and breathes basketball. He’s one of those basketball brainiacs. He really loves this game and he loves this league,” the four-time All-Star and 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year told The News. “And he loves the competition. He’s fiery as hell, which is what New Yorkers respect, which is what I respect about New Yorkers. They respect the grind, they respect the hard-nosed [mentality]. And that’s who Mike Brown is.
“He’s a special basketball mind. I was so fortunate to cross paths with him over the course of my basketball career. I had the opportunity to learn from a basketball savant like Mike B, and I think he’ll continue to raise the level of this New York Knicks organization.”
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Green’s eyes tell the stories he knows he can’t share. There are many moments that come to mind when he thinks of his former assistant coach.
Green laughs as he settles on one he can tell.
“It had to be in Memphis,” he said with a grin.
The Warriors had a running joke when they’d travel to road games: They would charge candles to a random staffer’s room, sometimes a member of the public relations team, other times an assistant coach.
This time, it was Mike Brown’s turn, and former Warriors’ big man Jordan Bell was the culprit.
“When the candles got charged to his room, he was so mad about those f–king candles. It might’ve been $50 worth of candles, and he was so mad those candles got charged to his room,” Green told The News. “It was a running joke, and Jordan Bell charged that s–t to Mike’s room. and Mike went ape s–t.
“We were like, ‘Mike, it’s $40, Mike!’ And he’s like, ‘That’s bulls–t! I didn’t charge anything!’ That was hilarious, but it’s typical Mike B: Pedal to the metal. Funny as hell.”
That’s a snapshot, Green says, into who Brown is. Full speed ahead, 24/7.
“He was the accountability person. He’s the one where we all come in, we’re laughing, we’re joking, and he’s like ‘Guys, what the hell,’” he recalled. “But he was that guy. Mike B would be about to go through a defensive drill in a full-out sweat ready to go. That is him. That’s not a front. That’s who he is.”
Green referenced the clip that went viral during Brown’s tenure with the Sacramento Kings, where he broke out a full sprint while imploring his team to “turn on the motherf–king jets” and run faster.
He did similar things during his time as an assistant with the Warriors and even participated in wind sprints as a penalty during Knicks training camp over the summer.
“We would have to tell Mike, ‘Slow down. You gonna hurt yourself. You ain’t conditioned for this.’ But that’s the energy that he brings on a nightly basis,” Green said. “It was an honor for me to play for and learn from him. He was our defensive coach so that means we were always in constant communication, and just the things I learned and picked up from him, forever grateful.”
The Knicks hope Brown can build a relationship as strong as his with Green with their current roster. It will take time, understanding, and difficult conversations, the likes of which New York’s new head coach isn’t afraid to have.
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Moses Moody used to live right up the street from the Chase Center. He would often come to the arena late at night to get shots up in his spare time.
On those nights, Moody would see the light still on in Brown’s office.
“I love Mike B,” he told The News. “He’s got so much attention to detail, he’s real smart, and you can just tell when someone knows the game at a real high level. And that’s the type of thinker he was even outside of basketball. He’s just a smart person, so applying that to basketball was cool to see, especially for my first year.”
It’s easy to be accountable to a coach when you know he’s coming from the right place — and when you know he’s working just as hard as the players.
“He just got a solid feel to him, a presence to him, so when he’s holding someone accountable, it doesn’t feel like a statement thing, like I’m holding you accountable right now,” he said. “It’s like, ‘This is what you did, let’s talk about it,’ and I can respect that.”
It’s even easier when the coach doesn’t make you feel like you’re in detention. As Warriors defensive coordinator, Brown graded each player’s defensive production and effort each game.
“He would show numbers for individual games and blocks of time,” Steve Kerr recalled. “But he’s a great communicator. So the way he’s able to do that is to develop relationships with guys so it doesn’t feel like you’re going to the principal’s office. He’s got a great way about him that allows him to coach people really well.”
Brown said he grew most as a communicator during his time with the Warriors. He used to carry a pen and notepad and take notes of the things Kerr would say, including when he said it and how he said it to his payers.
“Steve and Pop [Gregg Popovich] are probably two of the best messengers I’ve been around,” he said. “They have a really good feel and pulse of the group as individuals.”
Communication will continue to be key as Brown attempts to rally his Knicks together in the aftermath of their steep fall-off after winning the NBA Cup in mid-December. He’ll continue to lean on his experience with a perennial contender out West to lead New York to similar territory.
“Just trying to find different ways to win, whether it’s defensively or offensively, a combination of both,” Brown recalled. “The [championship] run in 2022 was really special because we didn’t finish in first in the conference, but we got better at the right time and we took off at the right time.
“We just found a way down the stretch. Any time you get in an environment like that, reaching the finals, you grow whether you win or lose it. We were fortunate enough to win it.”
